Red Zeppelin
Brewery: NXNW
Style: Irish Red(15A)
Package: 12oz Can
Purchased: Whichcraft, July, 2018
Best by: none
Consumed Date: 9/21/2018
Details from the Brewer
ABV: 4.7%
Balanced, malt-driven, medium bodied Irish ale that
is lightly hopped to allow the toasted malt character to
take center stage
Review
Aroma – 8/12
Bread crust and grainy malt character hit the nose at a medium level. This is followed by a ligher caramel character. A very slight earthy and floral hop note is present. Nothing to note in fermentation or flaws. As it warms a more biscuit note appears.
Appearance – 2/3
Pours with a dark amber, copper liquid. An off-white, beige head is composed of fine bubble and makes a moderate thickness. It stays with good retention. Clarity is great, with no haze.
Flavor – 13/20
A dark bread crust malt character hits the tongue first at a medium intensity. This blends with a slight toffee note, and a touch of chocolate. Slight sweetness. A low earthy hop note appears mid-taste. The finish invites a hint of toffee, but softly fades away against a low bitterness. There are not sharp edges to the flavor; components blend together but somewhat muddle. A touch of oxidation is present.
Mouthfeel – 3/5
Moderate-high carbonation. Low-medium bodied, with a slight slickness on the finish that makes it seem thinner. No alcohol warmth.
Overall Impression – 7/10
A decent Irish Red. While no obvious flaws, the recipe lends itself heavily towards bread character and doesn’t do much else. I’d like to see a bit more liveliness to the malt character and some additional sweetness in place of the very dry bready finish.
Rating – 33/50
While this beer has been around for a while on draft, I feel that the canned version isn’t much of a departure. It’s a mediocre example of the style, but not in a bad way. It’s sometimes hard to quantify recipe tweaks, but have this side-by-side with a Hi Sign Shamus the Fiddler (which is one of the best Irish Reds I’ve ever had), and you’ll see what’s lacking.
